By All Means (Fiske and MacNee Mysteries Book 2) (30 page)

There was a pause, then he said, 'I'll get back to you within the hour.'

*

DI Andy Hanna had met Neil Derrick's contact in the SFO for a coffee on Monday morning, and he was cross checking with him Aaronson's take on the behaviour of private equity conglomerates.

'Generally speaking, he's right.  Unless they're into leveraged buyouts - financing take-overs by borrowing and taking publicly quoted companies private - there's very little to prevent or deter insider dealing.  The Securities and Exchange Commission in the States has been pursuing a couple of private equity funds for insider trading, but their interest has been in how advantage has been gained in either the negotiation of loans or the manipulation of share prices before a take-over.  As I understand it, most of Burtonhall's acquisitions have been financed by sovereign wealth funds or high net worth investors, so they're unregulated.'

'So there would be nothing to prevent an insider from trying to influence the price that an "entity" would attract if it came on the market?'

'That's about the size of it.'

*

'The RCMP brought MacIver to our attention when he left Canada in 2006 and we've kept his file open since then.  It has to be said, however, that we've added very little to it.  He's had no obvious connections with non-mainstream groups in Scotland, and the stuff he wrote for the
Glasgow Banner
was unexceptionable.  Some eyebrows were raised when the First Minster took him on in 2007.'

'Did you tell her what you knew?'

'Not directly.  We alerted the Permanent Secretary at the Scottish Executive, as it then was, and left it at that.'

'What about when she became FM.'

'We turned things up a notch.   We talked to the PS again and suggested, quite strongly, that he advise the FM to request a full security check on MacIver and his known associates.'

'Did she?'

'Not to my knowledge.  We weren't asked to do anything, certainly.'

Vanessa tried to keep any sign of surprise out of her voice. 'You mentioned known associates.  If I give you two names, can you tell me if they came up on your radar?'

'Go on.'

'Simon Mathieson and Andrew MacIlwraith.'

There was a silence on the line. After about a minute, the voice came back.

'We identified both men as associates of MacIver in 2006.  We don't think he met them again, or contacted them electronically, until earlier this year.  He met theme four times between May and July and has been in touch with them pretty continuously by email and text since then.'

*

Andy Hanna's final contact in London was a self-employed financial analyst, anonymous blogger and FRIG associate who had recently been to the British Virgin Islands.  His name had come up in his discussion with Aaronson but his number had not been among those given to him by DCI Fiske.   Aaronson had suggested that if anything was known about the beneficial owners of secret accounts, he would know it.

'So why hasn't he told you?   You're both part of FRIG, aren't you?'

'We don't share unless we're working jointly. More secure. He'll blog about what he knows. Eventually.'

They met in a coffee bar in Borough Market at lunchtime on Monday. Andy was hoping to get a flight to Aberdeen from London City in the middle of the afternoon, so he had phoned the number Aaronson had given him before he met the man from the SFO.   The only name he had was Carl, and when they met - he had told Andy he would be carrying a copy of
Forbes
magazine
-
he volunteered no further identification. Andy mentally noted the irony that someone investigating financial secrecy should so carefully guard his anonymity, but if this led to the single most important piece of evidence that Fiske needed from him, he could live with it.

'A number of us in FRIG have been digging around in the crown dependencies that act as tax havens and host offshore shell companies to see if we can identify any high profile public figures, especially those that have taken a hard line on tax avoidance or benefit fraud, who've been operating accounts through nominee directors.  Mates of mine have been working in the Caymans, Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos.  I've spent some time in BVI.'

'Did you find anything?'

'Nothing that the mainstream press would publish, and I'd need another source before I would even blog about it, but I'm pretty sure that I've identified two very big names behind a new private equity fund registered by nominees in BVI.  But I'd need a very good reason to divulge them.'

Andy decided to appeal to conscience and good citizenship. 

'Look, we're investigating two murders and two terrorist attacks, one involving a bomb.  We think the perpetrators may have been bankrolled by a very big name who may also be into the kind of insider trading that the regulators can't touch.  I can't, for very obvious reasons, give you the name.  And I won't be able to tell you if any name you give me matches the names we're investigating.  But I can talk to my boss about giving you a call before we go public.'

Andy knew he was pushing his luck.  He calculated that if he got the information Fiske wanted, the fact that he had pushed the boundaries of acceptable behaviour would have consequences that he could accept.  But it was still a risk.

Carl then used the same justification as Aaronson, saying that he was committed to exposing the activities of "liars, hypocrites and profiteers".  He was showing exactly the same single-minded zeal as Aaronson.  However, he also said that he had had a close friend who was killed in the 7 July terrorist bombings in London in 2005. Andy thought that this was what tipped the balance towards disclosure.

'The two names I have are Roskill and Carey.  Big enough for you?'

Andy Hanna didn't react and he said nothing.  He got up, paid for the coffees, and went to find a taxi to take him to the airport.

*

As soon as Fiske finished speaking to Andy Hanna, who had called her on his way to the Airport, she went to see DCS Esslemont to tell him that they should speak urgently to the Chief Constable.  If he already thought this case was politically sensitive, he'd need a stiff drink after hearing what she now had to tell him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

'Sir, the frequency with which Roskill's name has come up in the course of my enquiries clearly makes him a person of interest. I need to interview him.'

The Chief Constable shifted uneasily in his chair.  DCS Esslemont nodded his agreement, but said nothing.

'We spoke before about the need to be able to defend our actions, Vanessa, and to be able to deflect any suggestions that we are indulging in fishing trips.  I still have that concern.  We are talking about a former prime minister...'

Vanessa interrupted. 'And the current head of the Foreign Office, though I'm not suggesting that I need to talk to him.  Yet.'

The Chief ignored the intervention and went on.  'A former prime minister whose reputation as an international statesman and philanthropist stands high?  You are suggesting that he is complicit in two murders and two terrorist attacks.'

'With respect, sir, at this point I am saying only that his name has come up in connection with MacIver and that I have intelligence that suggests that he is a beneficial owner of an account in the British Virgin Islands from which a substantial monthly sum has been paid to MacIver for the last six months.  I need to ask him what he was buying with that money, a large part of which flowed straight through to the men we have charged with the murders of Peter Keller and Harvey Jamieson.'

'I think Vanessa's right, sir.  If any other name had come up in the contexts she describes, we would have had no hesitation about interviewing them, at least informally, possibly under caution.  Roskill should have no special treatment.'

'If you do talk to him, it will have to be informal at this stage.  And we will have to observe the strictest confidentiality.   Special Branch, the intelligence services and Counter-Terrorism will need to be informed.'

Vanessa looked at Esslemont, who nodded.

'Is that really necessary?  I agree that I should ask for an informal interview, so I can't see that anyone outside this room, other than Colin MacNee as Deputy SIO, needs to know.  The more people who know, the more likely it is to get out.  I've been very careful to pass on to the teams investigating Last and Mercury any material evidence that's come up as we've investigated the murders, and if talking to Roskill produces anything they should have, they'll have it.  But we just don't know, until we approach him, whether he'll agree to speak to us, and, if he does, what he'll have to say.' 

'In normal circumstances,' the Chief said, 'I'd have to brief the Justice Secretary on this, but I don't think that would be sensible.  However, I'll need to talk to the Commissioner-Designate.  It's unlikely that this will be concluded before he takes over.'

*

As soon as she had the Chief 's reluctant support, DCI Fiske contacted the Metropolitan Police Diplomatic Protection branch to request contact details that would enable her to make a direct approach to Roskill.  The direct telephone number went to the chief executive of
The James M Roskill Public Affairs
Trust
, a former diplomat and senior adviser to Roskill during his time as Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister.  Vanessa vaguely remembered his name, and his reputation as a brutally efficient gatekeeper who decided who could see his boss and who could not.

'I'm sorry, Chief Inspector, but Mr Roskill's diary is very full.  He'll be in this country very little over the next month or two, so I think it unlikely that we can fit you in.'

Vanessa took a deep breath and told herself not to react to the patronising tone.  It's like dealing with the bloody royals, she thought.

'Mr Griffiths,' she said, in as even a voice as she could manage, 'Mr Roskill's name has come up in the course of a double murder investigation and I would very much like to speak to him.  I am happy to come to London, or to meet him anywhere else, within reason.  At this stage' - she paused to let the implicit threat sink in - 'I am looking for an informal conversation and I am asking you to put my request to him.'

'I know what his response will be.  That is my job.'

'Put it to him anyway.  I will await your call.  When may I expect to hear from you?'

'In due course.'  The line went dead.

*

'So how have you been?'  Janet MacNee was taking Vanessa's blood pressure and looking at her scan on the computer screen. Before Vanessa could answer, she said,  'That's a wee bit higher than I'd like, but still within the proper range.'

'I'm glad to hear it.  Given the pressure of this double murder enquiry that Colin and I are leading, I wouldn't have been surprised if it had gone through the roof.  But generally, I'm fine.  The morning sickness isn't as bad as it was.  Funnily enough, it seemed to get better as soon as I told my team I'm pregnant.  I could do with more sleep, though, but that's normal.  And Neil's been great.  Lots of TLC and some gentle sex.'

Janet laughed. 'Lucky you!  You'd be surprised by the number of men who are put off by pregnancy.'  She caught Vanessa's look. 'Not Colin, of course, since you ask.  Have you thought any more about when to stop working?'

'Not really.  As you'll know from Colin, this investigation has become very complex, and I really can't think beyond that right now.'

'I understand that, and I wouldn't have expected anything else. But you are carrying twins and that complicates things.'

'How?'

'Oh, come on, Vanessa, don't tell me you haven't been surfing the net for information about being pregnant with more than one baby!'

'I really haven't had time.  I think Neil has, but he knows how focused I've been on these murders, so he's probably waiting for a good moment to share his research findings with me.'

'You must know that with twins you may not to go to full term.  Expect to go into labour any time from thirty weeks on. You're ten weeks now, so that means you may only have five months to go.  That's why you need to think about when to start your leave.  You really don't want to start having contractions when you're at work.  I'd advise you to plan for between twenty and twenty-five weeks.  Day after tomorrow, really.'

Vanessa sighed. 'Thank you, Janet, for being so blunt.  I'll work on it.  You've given me ten weeks to finish this case.'

*

Griffiths, Roskill's minder, phoned back later on the day of Vanessa's initial conversation with him.

'I've spoken with Mr Roskill and he has asked me to put you in touch with his personal lawyer so that you can discuss with him the details of your request and the matters you would wish to discuss with Mr Roskill.'

Vanessa was very practised at spotting a runaround, and she thought she could see the signs.

'I did stress that I was requesting an informal interview. Involving a lawyer cranks things up a bit, don't you think?'

'That may be so, from your perspective, Chief Inspector.  But that's where we are.  If you want to progress this matter, you'll have to speak to Lord Cordingley.  May I give you his contact details?'

Edmund Cordingley had been Solicitor General throughout Roskill's time as Prime Minister.  He was a ultra-loyalist who had deliberately undermined the measured advice about the interventions in Central Asia that had been produced by his nominal boss, the Attorney General.  He had left government to go into private practice as soon as Roskill left Downing Street.  The Attorney General had been reported as saying that Cordingley was so far up Roskill's arse that he could see Richard Seaton.

'Lord Cordingley?  Ieuan Griffiths suggested I should speak to you. I think you know why.'

'Ah, Chief Inspector, I was expecting your call.'  The voice was cultured, smooth with the cadences of Westminster and the courts.  Behind it, though, Vanessa could detect the accent of Cordingley's origins in West Yorkshire, effaced, but not completely.  'How do you believe I can help with your enquiries?'

Vanessa ignored the touch of sarcasm. 'I doubt that you can.  As Mr Griffiths has probably told you, I need to speak with James Michael Roskill and I understand that you may be able to facilitate that.'

'What would be the nature of your discussion with my client?'  The implication of the privileged relationship was unmistakeable.

'That will become clear when I meet him.  I would be happy for you to be present.  All I can tell you is that his name has come up in the course of my enquiries.'

'I have no wish to be difficult.'  The voice oozed insincerity. 'But I will advise my client against meeting you.  I will tell him that I have asked you to submit written questions, which he will either answer or provide a written statement in response.'

'You're a lawyer, Lord Cordingley, so you must know that I can't accept that.  I recently had to tell a potential witness that we don't operate through intermediaries.  But she was an American.  You don't have that excuse.'

'I'm not sure I like your tone.'

'I'm sorry about that.  But I don't like being obstructed in my enquiries.  I will ask again.  Will you advise Mr Roskill to speak to me?'

'No. I will not.'

*

In Parliament at Holyrood the First Minister was under pressure from all sides but her own.  Even her supporters looked silent, sullen and undemonstrative.  Like all successful politicians, she had made enemies and created rivals.  Her reliance on Paul MacIver had led her into failure to build the kind of personal alliances that show their value in a crisis.  She hadn't dealt with the lingering resentment in some sections of her party about the ruthlessness with which she had deposed her predecessor.  And there was already speculation, in the press and in the party, about how long she could survive and who would succeed her.  Her statement had been prepared by civil servants and there was no-one to do the political fine tuning that had been MacIver's special talent.

Presiding Officer, I undertook to keep Parliament informed on the progress of the various police operations now underway:  the murders at Grampian Royal Hospital and on the Vermont One oil platform, the bombing at Last Cairngorm and the apparent cyber attack on Mercury Fulfilment.

North East Constabulary have arrested three men in connection with the murders. These men have now been charged with various offences including murder and conspiracy to murder.  Other charges may follow.

Enquiries into the Last and Mercury attacks are proceeding.

It would not be proper for me to comment further while enquiries area ongoing.

There was a murmur of incredulity, cries of  'Is that it?, as the Leader of the Opposition got up to speak.

'We now know, as we suspected last week, that one of the men arrested is Paul MacIver, Special Adviser to the First Minister, although I would like to think that he has now resigned from that position.  There are persistent reports that MacIver was, at one time, member of an extremist nationalist splinter group known as the Scottish Freedom Party.  Will the First Minister tell Parliament what checks into his background and activities were undertaken when she first appointed him while she was Finance Secretary, and what further checks, if any, were made when she became First Minister?'

She rose, picking up her briefing notes from her desk.   They shook noticeably in her hand.

'The Leader of the Labour Party knows that we never comment publicly on security matters.  For the record, Mr MacIver resigned as soon as he was taken into custody.'

'At a time of national crisis, that is an unbelievably inadequate response.  The public will draw its own conclusions from the fact that the First Minister has refused to confirm that security checks were undertaken. So will her party. She knows that I did not expect details, only confirmation that, if may borrow a phrase from the financial sector, due diligence had been done.  If she will not answer my question about security checks on Paul MacIver, will she confirm that she has been interviewed by officers investigating the murders?'

The First Minister remained seated, apparently unmoved by the shouts of 'Answer! Answer!’  Members clamoured for a chance to speak.  The Justice Secretary, seated beside the First Minister, gathered his papers, rose, and left the Chamber.